Stone Flooring Buying Guide Where To Buy

Stone flooring can be a considerable investment, so it's important to plan and research your purchasing options. In this section we will provide you with some general advantages and disadvantages to consider for both buying online and buying at your local flooring retailer.

Disadvantages

Warranty issues: If you encounter warranty issues, the resolution process for an online purchase is more complicated than buying from your local flooring retailer. Instead of having a local flooring retailer to resolve your warranty issue, you are dealing with phone calls and emails to the online retailer, a process that can be lengthy and cause delays and changes to your installation.

Overall costs: Though you may be getting a better price on the stone flooring product, when buying online this price often does not include extra fees including shipping, delivery, labor, installation, etc.

Restocking fee: If you receive the flooring and it just isn't what you thought it would be, sending it back often means incurring a restocking fee that could be up to 30% of the overall cost of your order. You will also be responsible for the return shipping costs.

Shipping costs: Due to weight, stone flooring is expensive to ship, and this could add significantly to the overall cost. Damage may also occur in shipping.

Out of stock/discontinued products: Many flooring websites keep an incomplete inventory, and you might find that the stone floors you have your heart set on may not actually be available for purchase.

No in-person service: From the purchase itself to any follow-up questions you may have, all business will be conducted over email or the phone.

Shipping errors: If a mistake on either party's behalf is made during shipping this could cause delays to your project.

Accessories: Underlayments, grout and sealers may not be available through the same retailer and there may be additional charges to your order for shipping.

No affiliated installer: The online retailer will not likely have a qualified installer available in your area. If you utilize an online source for purchasing your flooring and a local resource for installation, there may be more difficulty in getting quality customer service and assistance when dealing with two separate businesses.